


Winter Camp | In remake/on hiatus

by simp_za



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: (kind of?), Angst with a Happy Ending, Child Abandonment, Daniel's Redemption Arc, David Acting as Max's Parental Figure | Dadvid (Camp Camp), David Adopts Max (Camp Camp), David Has Trauma, David's mother is a bitch, F/F, First time tagging, Help, How Do I Tag, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Max Has Issues (Camp Camp), Max Has a Crush (Camp Camp), Past Child Abuse, Some parts may trigger, cause he needs it, change my mind, dadvid, that's just how i see her, there will be the ultimate happy ending, trust me - Freeform, you can fight me on this one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:42:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27403729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simp_za/pseuds/simp_za
Summary: Max never expected to come back to Camp Campbell. Especially before Christmas holidays. He could live with it.What he didn't expect how much of his secrets would suddenly come out. It seems nobody understands how much the kid went trough...But David does.☆*: .｡..｡.:*☆In conclusion: Our favorite camper and camp counselor have trauma and together help them sort it out. Oh! Daniel joins their therapy club too! He needed a Redemption Arc and since nobody was willing to do that, I shall! Also Max has a crush that he doesn't want anybody to find out about, but I ain't telling you who it is tho.It's my first long fanfic on ao3 , so, feel free to give me your honest opinion!
Relationships: Daniel & David (Camp Camp), David & Gwen (Camp Camp), David & Max (Camp Camp), Max & Science Camp Neil & Nikki (Camp Camp), Max & Science Camp Neil (Camp Camp), Max/Science Camp Neil (Camp Camp)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 52





	1. Back to hell (?)

**Author's Note:**

> Max and the other campers come back to Camp Campbell, just before Christmas. It happens after season 2. This fanfic contains heavy mentions of child abuse, but I will warn you before the chapter. Seriously, please, read the tags, there might be information that you need to know, otherwise some chapters will confuse you. I'll try to update this every week, cause I'm planning to end it before Christmas :'D Hope it will meet your standards. Please notify me of any mistakes if you notice them.

Christmas. The best time of the year for family gatherings with people chatting, laughing and re-uniting together. Kids spending time with their parents. Giving each others presents. The holiday almost everyone was looking forward to. 

_Almost everyone._

All the roads were muddy, dirty and snow-covered. Max wished the car would slip on it and die in a car crash. That would be so easy. Unfortunately, it didn't happen.

" _Maxwell,_ " The kid quickly turned his eyes towards his mother, she only smiled lightly, trying to encourage him.

"We'll be arriving soon. Aren't you excited?" Max shrugged simply... but automatically winced. His shoulders weren't in exactly good shape. He wouldn't even speak about his back or legs.

"I guess.." He mumbled quietly, _he liked Camp Campbell._ Four months ago he would say that every time he thinks about that Camp it makes him wanna vomit, but now... Let's just say things changed. Time passed and they finally arrived, Max got out of the car and took his weared out backpack. His mother rolled the window down.

"Well... I **hope** we see each other on Christmas Max. Remember make sure to have fun with your friends!" The child nodded slowly, he noticed her pause and the slightly accented word _hope,_ for him it meant only one thing.

"I love you, Mom.."

The women started tearing up, yet still managed to smile at her son.

"I love you too Max, please, never forget that." 

The car left. That was the last time Max was seeing his mother. Maybe it was for the best. He knew from the beginning that at some point they'll never come back for him. But leaving him just before holidays? _That_ was a dick move.

"Max! You're finally here! Oh thank god!" he recognized that nervous voice. _Neil._

"Neil what the fuck is going on?" Max asked amused, seeing the taller boy run to him. He was wearing, of course, a yellow jacket, gray jeans and dark red winter boots. Max ignored the fact that he looked even taller now. Right after him was running Nikki, with two mint canes in her mouth, resembling vampire teeth. She was wearing an unbuttoned brown jacket, which had a hood with... _wolf ears?_ _'Nevermind'_ , he thought. Her pants were frayed at the knees, but Nikki didn't seem to realize it.

"Come back! I haven't sucked out your blood yet!" The camper smirked at them, at least he had them.

"Oh, hi Max! Awesome to see you back! I was just showing Neil how cool bats are!" The light headed girl smiled at him, like usual her face was dirty and from her hair sticked out leaves with mud.

"Hey Nikki, since when are you so interested in bats? I thought wolfs were your thing?"

"Well, I still love my wolf pack, but-"

"When I told her on Halloween that they are nocturnal, she started obsessing over them like crazy." Neil whispered in his ear quietly while the girl started her obsessive chatter, sometimes interrupted by squealing and jumping in excitement. The three of them slowly made their way towards the center of the camp while chatting.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. _Just maybe._


	2. Meeting again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max meets again with the rest of little devils/campers and his camp counselors. It seems everyone looks the same as they were months ago and nothing changed... right?

_"Shit,"_ Max cursed under his breath. Of course everyone was there before him. The kid slowly examined the others, nothing changed pretty much. Ered was casually leaning against the wall of the Mess Hall, acting cool as always. Next to her was Nerris, probably rambling about that weird stick with a fake crystal, that she was holding in her hand. On her left side stood Harrison who played with the material of his black gloves, and, if Max didn't know better, he would say that the boy was acting suspicious. Next up was Nurf who was currently for no damn reason punching a tree until the weaker branches broke. Space Kid and Dolph were whispering to each other and together scribbling something down in probably Dolph's sketchbook. If Max had to guess, he would say that they were planning to fly to the moon and present the aliens young Hitler's ' _masterpieces_ '. The kid examined them again and finally noticed that one person was missing. **Preston**.

"Hey, Nerd Kid!" he kicked his taller friend to get his attention.

" _Ow!_ What was that for?!" he whimpered while checking on his ankle, to make sure it wasn't bruised yet.

" Where in the hell is the drama kid? " he asked while mentioning the others. Neil looked around in surprise.

" I- I'm not sure, he was talking to Harrison just before you arrived. I guess maybe he went to unpack his things or something. " he shrugged and went back to Nikki, who clearly didn't understand the difference between vampires and bats. It seemed that everybody was doing their own thing and they were too busy to notice him.

**Perfect.**

Max smiled devilishly, maybe he could get his plan to work out. Camp man and Gina were out of sight so the kid quietly sneaked in to the Mess Hall only to be met by his camp counselors, looking at him with surprise. Yet that didn't last long, David suddenly appeared just in front of him, squealing happily at the site of the boy.

" Max! It's so good to see you back! How has school been? Did you say hi to all the campers yet? Do you-"

" One more word camp man and I'll bang the door in your face. " the kid hissed at the man who just laughed at the threat.

"Now now Max. Don't be so aggressive. I just wanted to know, how have you been?"

" _Aggressive?_ Oh, please David, if I was really aggressive I already would've fucking thrown 15 snowballs in your face. " The counselor grinned at him.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't do that, still.. it doesn't give you permission to cuss. " Max sighed, clearly irritated, but said nothing. He quickly looked David up and down, the only thing that changed were his clothes. The man was wearing a gray jacket, brown jeans and his normal, ugly yellow scarf.

' _Why is he still wearing it? It's fucking winter not summer.'_

Max didn't get to finish his internal monologue when David picked him up and walked out of the Mess Hall, smiling annoyingly. 

"C'mon, it's time for our first Winter Activity kiddo! I'm sure you can't wait to have fun! "

Max bit his tongue just before he could say 'Fuck you David!', he would save that for later. Right now he had a bigger problem. It was called having fun.. and the kid didn't like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, another chapter just one day after posting the first one? Yep- i'm fucking done with school so you'll get maybe even more chapters tomorrow! I'm not sure how many words are in this part, but it's still pretty short. Again, feel free to give me your feedback and notify me of any mistakes! Have a good day ladies, gents and non-binary pals! ╰(*°▽°*)╯


	3. A 'little' breakdown from before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A month after the Kool-Aid accident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HA! You didn't expect me with a new chapter today did'ya ? Well surprise, i'm in a sad mood so, i'm throwing some heavy angst in this chapter. No like seriously.  
> This is ʜᴇᴀᴠʏ ᴀɴɢsᴛ.  
> ʙᴇᴡᴀʀᴇ, ᴏᴋ? ╯︿╰  
> (I mean i think it's heavy?)  
> I think the title of this part was even a warning. Nevermind. This time it's going to be from a certain person's point of view, but you'll have to figure out for yourself who is that. (I swear it's really obvious so don't worry!) Now, no more spoilers. Hope you like it!

_'Sorry.'_ That was what was meant to come out of his mouth, yet it didn't. Was he really sorry for what he has done?

 _'Yes..'_ At first it was just a slight scratch on his heart. It didn't bleed. It didn't hurt.

 _'Now it hurts so much-'_ He deserved it. Every part of his body was creaming. Not from the pain. But the guilt.

The guilt, flowing through his veins like poison. 

_'Ironic, isn't it?'_ He was supposed to make **them** hurt. Not **himself**. His mind reminded him of the betrayal he felt too.

 _'Why didn't Xemüg help him?'_ He was left alone. To suffer. To regret all his pathetic decisions in life. **Yes.**

**He deserved it all.**

**Since he was and will be nothing for all eternity.**

**...**

**Right?**

"Fuck." the man slowly reached for an orange container with pills. Medicine for anxiety? Wrong.

Antidepressants. That's how low he has sank. 

One. Two. Three. Three pills were quickly swallowed with a little bit of water. Did they help? Sometimes. Most times they didn't. 

Now where was he..? Oh, right. His usual self destructive nature was taking over. It wasn't normal just a week ago. Now it was.

_Stupid camp counselor. He shouldn't have came to Camp Campbell in the first place. The worst thing about it was that, the person he despised the most, was the one to help him open his eyes and see the **truth**. _

_It blinded. It hurted. Yet he couldn't do anything to prove it wrong._

_Xemüg didn't exist._

_The cultist didn't know that a week ago, he wasn't aware._

_"Daniel please, you can't protect a god that doesn't even exist-"_

_"Xemüg exists, David! You can't make me change my mind. Stop trying!" At this point the blonde was almost shouting at the other._

_"No."_

_It was a normal answer. It wasn't anything special. Many people have said it before, but not to him, not to Daniel._

_To say the least, the cultist was shocked. Deeply. Yet something else suddenly appeared in his blue, stoic eyes. Interest. Something he only felt towards Xemüg._

_Just as fast as Daniel felt it, he buried it inside of him._

_"Now now Davey. No need to be so persistent."_

_"It's- I'm not being persistent, it's called caring about someone's well being." The tone of David's voice changed to a sad one. Daniel raised his eyebrow in question, but the other just ignored it._

_"Daniel-" the camp counselor started, biting slightly on his lip._

_"-have you ever had anyone that cared and took care of you?"_

_Now this was something he didn't hear about usually._

_"Pardon me?" Daniel snorted and rolled his eyes at him._

_"Davey I am fully capable of taking care of myself-"_

_"You know that's not what I'm asking about. I meant, do you have any family or close friends that you can rely on?"_

_"I-" I don't have? Was he seriously about to say that? No, nope. He wasn't taking any of that emotional shit right now._

_"It's none of your business David."_

_"I think it is." Daniel looked at him with surprise that quickly changed to his usual annoyed face. Determined brat._

_"From now on, I'm going to teach you what having friends feels like and prove you wrong about that weird god of yours. I don't take no for an answer!"_

_Stated David with his usual cheery voice, but at the same time being absolutely serious. Maybe the cultist was wrong about him..._

His thoughts interrupted the nurse that just knocked on his door. She had an apologetic smile on her face and Daniel knew what it meant already.

"He's back, isn't he?"

"Yes. Should I let him in?" She asked nervously. He remembered his first week in this hospital, he cursed out every nurse and doctor that came to visit him. He slowly nodded and she quickly left. Several minutes have passed and the camp counselor finally arrived at his door.

"I told you to stop coming David." Daniel mumbled, yet he knew what the others answer would be.

"-and I told you that I won't stop trying, right?"

Of course, he wouldn't give up.

He was David after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D yes, Daniel makes an appearance in the third chapter. i know that technically i should post this chapter about him later, but i'm doing it now lol have a good day (づ￣ 3￣)づ


	4. A freezing problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter Activities were supposed to be dull and boring, not really interesting. Nobody expects to have a camper go missing, not even Max. Not in the middle of a fucking storm.

Neil stood while shivering in the woods, snow covering everything around him and the cold making his cheeks turn red. Why did David have to choose hide and seek? Why couldn't they play something else? Winter was bullshit.

He should have listened to Max, but goddammit, why did he have to be right most of the time?

Why did he have to be always so _smug_ about it? 

Neil internally rolled his eyes. He was tired, cold, and extremely pissed off. Where the hell was everyone? They couldn't stay hidden in the snow for that long...

...Could they?

"Guys?!" he yelled. "C'mon, you can come out now! I don't wanna play anymore!"

No one responded.

"Nikki? Are you there?"

" _Max?!"_ His voice broke, then he sniffled, stubbornly wiping away the tears stinging his eyes. "Anyone?!"

The camper shivered again; it was getting worse. The wind was slowly throwing him sideways, and the falling snow blocked his view. He definitely was in trouble. Staying in one place wasn't safe anymore. 

"I'm in deep shit..."

That was the only thing he said before wandering further into the forest, the opposite way to camp. He was lost. Mostly scared, but he also felt something else... Anger. Why, you may ask? It was simple, clearly.

They left him there.

Alone. They forgot about him. Even Nikki, even Max...

What did he expect anyways? He wasn't that important, he never was. He never was important enough for his friends. That was just the way it worked.

"Stop rambling..." he murmured, though mentally slapped himself afterwards. He couldn't do this here. Not now. It wasn't time to get emotional, he had to hide somewhere. Otherwise...

Otherwise Neil would freeze and die.

* * *

"What the fuck do you mean, he's not here?!" Gwen seethed at the campers. They watched with wide eyes, cowering in a small circle.

"W-Well," Nerris spoke up, "we all were playing hide and seek, then David called us back, and we just thought he was with us the whole time!"

"You _thought?_ You thought— I am going to lose my mind because of you all. Did anyone see him go further into the forest?"

They all shook their heads. Nikki slowly started tearing up.

"Can't we go look for him?" She pouted, putting on her best puppy dog eyes. "I can get my wolf pack to search for him, and maybe we can even get the platypus to help out!"

Gwen just sighed. She was in no mood for this. Not like she ever was, anyway.

"No, Nikki, all that would do is scare the living shit out of him. Besides... Have you seen David anywhere?"

Max shifted uncomfortably. The counselor narrowed her eyes.

"C'mon, Max, spit it out."

The camper rolled his eyes.

"Fine," he shrugged. "But just before you say I didn't warn you, he looks like a fucked up, freaked out mess, so he's not exactly a joy to be around."

At the news, Gwen couldn't help but groan. Of course David panicked, of fucking course.

"You know what, why don't you deal with his emotional shit, instead? He's at the docks, isn't he?"

The camper just nodded. Don't get him wrong, he didn't give a shit about David. Though inside, his heart stirred a bit with worry, trying to claw its way out.

He shoved it back down.

 _Ugh_. Time to get this over with.

Max quietly walked out of the Mess Hall, hands stuffed in his pockets until he saw a lanky counselor bouncing along the docks. It was David, obviously. Yet the camper wasn't startled at all before he saw his eyes. They were rimmed with red, his bottom lip trembling, glazed over with fear and concern. The kid just watched him pace around nervously, hearing him mumble:

"It's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault—"

"It's not your fault, David."

The ginger's head snapped up, quickly wiping his eyes as he smiled at him, trying to hide his current state. Typical David.

"Oh- sorry, Max! I didn't see you there!"

Max took a deep breath. Guess it was time to knock some sense into him.

"Look, Camp Man, I'm not going to say this twice, so listen the fuck up. Whatever stuff is currently going on in your head, just know, Neil getting lost in the woods isn't your fault, okay? We all screwed this up. I should have suspected that this whole hide and seek game wasn't going to end well. Still, none of us are really responsible for what happened. Neil will be fine."

_He has to be fine._

"I... Alright. Whatever you say, kiddo," David whispered, slumping in defeat, though still continued to pace down the docks. Max sighed. Shit was going down too fast for his liking. He hoped his best friend was okay.


	5. Lost and found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, yes, I know what you're gonna say. Why is there so much Neil in these chapters? Well-  
> :D i may have expressed some of my feelings by writing about Neil and i've grown to really adore the science camper, so this chapter and the next one will probably still be about him. i know that y'all want that max content, but first i'm gonna write about other people getting hurt, before i get to the main angst with him and david.  
> also- everyone thank lemonlou, my dear beta-reader for editing and correcting my mistakes i make while writing! (｡･∀･)ﾉﾞ they've been a lot of help since i've started this fanfic and i really can't express how grateful i am!! alright, enough talking. enjoy the chapter everyone ヾ(•ω•`)o

A cave. A single, stupid cave saved Neil's life. The boy nervously tried to light a small fire using sticks, for this he collected dried branches and piled them. Slowly a barely visible light appeared between his hands, it was fire. The warm slowly took over his body and the small science expert stopped shaking so much. The exit from the cave was half covered with snow, and icicles hung from above his head. Still it was much safer than being outside. 

"What am I gonna do now?" He asked himself quietly.

There was no way he could contact anyone, seek help or find some food for himself. He was completely alone. Alone with his thoughts.

_Where are they? Did anyone even notice that I'm gone? Are they looking for me? I wanna go back-_

Neil tucked his legs under him, trying to take as little space as possible. It would take a long time for anyone to find him. The boy rubbed his hands repeatedly to warm himself. He hoped that the dried sticks would be enough to keep the fire burning in the cave. It had to. Neil wasn't doing well emotionally right now, though not like he did ever. He just didn't show it. Campers knew that he was nervous, he got easily irritated and probably was one of the most sane kids in this camp. But that was only a mask. A facade. Everybody was hiding something, not just Max. 'I _wonder, how's Max doing? '_

Little did he know, Max was going pretty much nuts without his friend. 

* * *

" Nikki, I swear, one more word and I'll start tearing every part of this damn camp apart. "

" But Max! What if he's in trouble? What if he was attacked by a bunch of bears and ended up like Jas-"

 _"Shhh_! Stop being so god damn loud! David might hear you..."

The camper searched the area near them, but apparently the camp counselor was too busy talking with Gwen on the other side of the Mess Hall. They've been sitting here for about 2 hours, but the weather still wasn't good enough for the adults to go search for the missing boy. Max was sick of it. Sitting and doing nothing, but hoping that Neil wasn't dead. He couldn't be dead. He wouldn't survive it.

" David? Oh c'mon Max! He's too busy to notice **anything** right now " 

" Anything you say? " The camper smiled smugly and a new plan was born in his head. A plan on getting Neil back by himself. Nikki looked at him questioningly, but he didn't say a thing.

" Max? "

" Nikki I have a mission for you " The girl's eyes turned into stars and she squealed in excitement.

" What is it?! Tell me!"

" I want you to protect Mr. Honeynuts, while I go search for Neil. Do not tell anyone about this, got it? It's a secret mission. "

"Of course! I won't tell a soul!"

" Good. " Max hugged his bear one last time before slowly handing him to Nikki, she gently took him, looking at Mr. Honeynuts like a precious gem and put him in her small pocket. The girl smiled proudly.

" Alright, I'm gonna get going. You stay here. " He spoke quietly while checking if anyone overheard their conversation. No one seemed to notice. Max put on he's navy blue jacket and hoodie, just before sneaking out of the Mess Hell. The wind wasn't as strong as earlier, but it still sometimes made him shiver. The camper slowly made his way trough the snow and mud in the forest, while occasionally yelling into the wild.

" Neil! C'mon man, it's not funny! You can get out now! "

 _'Damnit- where is he?'_ Max inhaled the cold air, it was so calm outside. No yelling. No more crying. No more whining. Just pure silence. The kid wouldn't admit it, but he missed his best friend. It was dull without him and his scientific monologue. He didn't want Neil to end up like the ghost kid. Like _Jasper_. Max got so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the huge pile of snow before him. The camper cursed under his breath when suddenly cold and wet sand got under his clothes.

"Fucking shit-"

The kid threw the snow off himself and finally noticed something. He was no longer in the forest. He was in a **cave**

**-and he wasn't alone.**

" _Neil_?"

Suddenly the 2nd camper slowly opened his eyes, his eyelashes were covered in little snowflakes. His cheeks and ears were quite red from the cold, but he was alive. More than alive at this very moment.

"Holy shit Max you're-"

" **Shut the fuck up**. I am really pissed off at you."

"I- what? I'm sorry?" The science camper blinked, thinking that he perhaps misheard something. For what?

"You idiot! What the fuck gave you the idea to scare us like that?! **I** was so fucking worried- Everyone was!" He yelled frustrated and before he noticed, small wet tears started falling down his face. He was scared. Absolutely afraid of losing Neil. It wasn't like him to lose his cool like that, but then again... it was Neil after all that had gone missing.

"Max... I'm not leaving you... or the others." He spoke calmly, making his way closer to the shorter kid. He could see him shaking slightly.

"Alright? I'm gonna stay with you as long as I can and I can scientifically prove it." Neil said jokingly the last part, trying to lighten up the suddenly intense atmosphere. 

"You better not. I'm having my damn eyes on you. Got it?"

"Yup. I got it." Max exhaled carefully and slowly relaxed. Suddenly he felt getting himself stuck in a warm embrace, that gave off vibes of happiness. He just got hugged. By Neil. In a cave. In the middle of fucking winter. _Wow_. The Science Kid realized what he had done and quickly let go of him, but for some reason he couldn't. Because Max gave up on his tough image and hugged back. Neil smiled gratefully that he wasn't pushed away. He finally felt safe.

"Mention this to anyone and I'll murder you in your sleep!"

"Of course..."

They were together and that was the only thing that mattered right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (ha ha, i can literally hear the maxneil shippers going off in the background- hope you're happy lol)


End file.
